Broughton Village Improvements Get Go Ahead

Almost £2m worth of improvements for Broughton village have been agreed by Lancashire County Council’s Cabinet

The planning consent for James Towers Way, previously known as the Broughton Bypass, included a condition for proposals to be developed for cycling, walking and environmental enhancements along Garstang Road.

Measures will be introduced to discourage vehicles from travelling unnecessarily through the village, encouraging use of James Towers Way and improving the centre of the village.

There’ll also be improvements for pedestrians and cyclists, including part of the Preston Guild Wheel, with a separate footway and cycle track created along Garstang Road and a controlled crossing giving priority to cyclists and pedestrians.

The county council’s Cabinet agreed yesterday (Thursday 18 January) to the submission of these measures for planning approval. Once this is granted, work is expected to begin in either spring or summer.

The £1.85m for these measures has been provided through the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal Infrastructure Delivery Fund.

During last summer, the original proposals were subject to a ‘value engineering’ exercise, to ensure that the proposals provide good value for money based on the agreed budget, as well as meeting the planning requirements for landscaping, environmental and public realm improvements, discouraging through traffic and enhancing pedestrian and cycling facilities.

The proposed work would narrow the roads through the village, which will help to reduce vehicle speeds.

There’ll also be public realm improvements within the village centre, including Garstang Road, Whittingham Lane and Woodplumpton Lane. This will include high-quality natural stone materials, reduced road width, wider footways, courtesy crossings and landscaping.

Other proposed work includes a separate cycleway along Garstang Road, grass verges and tree planting, as well as traffic calming features at key locations.

County Councillor Keith Iddon, Cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “This package of measures will improve the centre of Broughton, making it a more welcoming place, while also improving walking and cycling facilities, and putting in measures to encourage better driving and reduce unnecessary journeys through the village.

“This work is part of the planning permission for James Towers Way, which has already made a huge difference in the centre of Broughton, where queues have come down and travel times have improved for many people.

“Now that the Cabinet has agreed these proposals, it shouldn’t be too long until this work can start and we’ll see even more positives for people in Broughton.”

The opening of James Towers Way has made it possible to introduce a new 20mph speed limit on sections of Garstang Road, Woodplumpton Lane and Whittingham Lane. A 7.5 tonne weight limit has already been introduced on sections of Garstang Road.

The traffic signals at Broughton crossroads have been switched off, due to significantly reduced traffic volumes, with priority now given to vehicles using Whittingham Lane and Woodplumpton Lane. Give way signs and road markings have been installed.

Since these changes were made, the county council has received a number of comments from residents about this junction and the failure of a small number of drivers to follow the new speed limits or the give-way requirement at the crossroads. Additional temporary measures have been added, to increase driver awareness of the new road layout.

The county council has carried out speed, traffic and CCTV surveys, and the information gathered will be used to inform the design of permanent measures for the crossroads.

The City Deal is an agreement between the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Preston City Council, South Ribble Borough Council and Lancashire County Council, along with central government and Homes England.

City Deal will help to create more than 20,000 new private sector jobs and see over 17,000 new homes built across the area, along with new school places, open green spaces and new health provision to cater for the growing population.

For more information about City Deal and to watch the new fly-through video showing the route of the Broughton Bypass visit www.lancashirelep.co.uk/city-deal or follow them on Twitter @LancsCityDeal.